Four in a row for Polmans

Marc Polmans defeats Max Purcell to successfully defend his Mornington title and continue his stunning run on the Australian Pro Tour.

Mornington VIC, Australia, 25 March 2018 | David Packman

Marc Polmans has continued his dominance of the Australian Pro Tour after successfully defending his title at the Mornington Peninsula Tennis International #1.

In a battle of the top two seeds, his 7-6(5) 6-2 defeat of Max Purcell on Sunday marked the Victorian’s 20th consecutive win and fourth title in a row after he previously lifted trophies in Launceston, Renmark and Mildura.

Having successfully shifted from hardcourt to grass and now clay, the 20-year-old is showing his versatility on all surfaces.

“I feel very comfortable on the clay,” he said. “It didn’t take me too many days to adjust, which is great.

“I was definitely amped for today’s final. I lost to Max the last two times we played so I knew it was going to be a tough match. It was a really close first set and I was just able to jag that tiebreak and then got more and more confident from there.”

While Polmans was pleased to reclaim the title he won last year, he is also focused on the fact he went back-to-back in Mornington last year and has more ATP points to defend.

“Today’s an extra bonus for sure, but hopefully I can have a good run next week as well,” he said.

With his confidence sky high, Polmans has his sights firmly set on returning to his career high of world No.175 (currently No.197) and quickly breaking through that mark.

“It’s a good feeling to keep playing this well,” he said. “Last year I went through a few dips and now at the start of this year I’m going through a high. You have to enjoy it while it lasts.

“I was really happy with the way I was playing at Launceston. It took me a while to really get going again after that but I think now I’m playing some of my best tennis.

“I’m going to just give it everything next week before I head over to America for some Challengers.”

Purcell also made the final in the doubles event, where he and partner Thomas Evans were stopped by Victorian Matthew Romios and Taiwan’s Yu Hsiou Hsu.